1954-1975

The Vietnam War

• Early inhabitants who are today’s Vietnamese settled near the Red River Delta

• The Chinese ruled the Vietnamese until 938 CE because they had control of the river.

• The Vietnamese conquered the ruling kingdom of Champa in the 15th century.

• They spread southward into the 18th century, when they took over the Mekong Delta from Cambodia, thus completing the settlement of their country.

Early History

• More than a dozen dynasties have ruled Vietnam, with 3 of them being considered ‘great’

• The Ly were the first, ruling from 1009-1225

• They focused on agriculture and built many roads, dikes, and canals

• Capital: Thang Long- City of the Soaring Dragon

• In 1044, the Ly established Vietnam’s first postal service

• The Tran overthrew the Ly and became the second great dynasty (1225-1400)

Early History

• The Chinese re-took Vietnam in 1407 and ruled for 20 years

• Le Loi drove the Chinese out and established the 3rd great dynasty: the Le (1428-1524).

• Women were given nearly equal rights with men during this era

• In the 17th and 18th century, Vietnam split between two groups; one, controlled by the Nguyen in the south and the Trinh Lords in the north

• In 1786 the Tay Son brothers reunited the country, but they had limited success

Early History

• In 1802, self-proclaimed Emperor Gig

Long overthrew the Tay Son.

• The Nguyen then ruled Vietnam until

their last ruler abdicated in favor of

Ho Chi Minh in 1945.

Early History

• In 166 CE, Romans passed through Vietnam’s borders

• By 1516, the Portuguese had sent missionaries and military into Vietnam

• Trading centers were established, as well as headquarters for missionaries

• After the Portuguese, the Spanish, Italians, Dutch, English, and French tried and failed to set up profitable trade with the Vietnamese

• In the 1850s, the French shifted their focus from trade to conquest

• By 1893 the French had established a hold over Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

Western Contact

• French conquest in Vietnam led to unrest amongst the Vietnamese population

• Early resistance efforts were put down

• In 1925, Nguyen Ai Quoc (who later changed his name to Ho Chi Minh) started a new resistance called the Revolutionary Youth League

• This league became the center of the Communist Party in Vietnam

• During the Second World War, Ho Chi Minh created the League for the Independence of Vietnam which struggled against Japanese occupation of Vietnam during the war

France in Vietnam

• During World War II, the United States offered financial assistance for the Vietnamese in their resistance against the Japanese

• While Vietnam expected the United States to back their bid for independence following the war, America allowed the re-occupation by France

• In 1954, Vietnam was partitioned into North and South

• The United States showed support of the South Vietnamese, which leads into the Vietnam War

The Road to War

• 1945: Ho Chi Minh created a provisional government following the Japanese surrender to the Allies at the end of World War II

• The United States dropped the atomic bomb in Japan

• Vietnam declared independence as a nation, but the Allies turn power in Vietnam back over to the French

• In 1946, the French recognized Vietnam as a free state- within the French Union

• Relations between the two quickly unraveled, and the Vietnamese began the Indochina Wars by attacking the French.

• At this time, Vietnam was considered a Democratic Republic

The Road to War

The French general tried in 1947 to

completely wipe out the Vietminh, but it

was a failure

General Etienne Valluy

• In 1949, the French and Vietnamese signed the Elysee Agreement in which France promised to help establish an anti-Communist army

• However, in 1950, the Soviets and the Chinese began offering weapons to Vietnam

• Additionally, the United States promised $15 million to aid the French in the Indochina Wars

• In 1951, Ho Chi Minh established the Workers Party

Furthering Conflict

• In 1953, France granted Laos full independence

• Shortly afterwards, the Vietminh pushed into Laos

• The Battle of Dien Bien Phu began in 1954 in which the Vietminh led a force of 40,000 into the French garrison and made it impossible for the French to land supplies by air

• The French were defeated at Dien Bien Phu

The Road to War

• Delegates from nine nations met and first discussed how to end hostilities in Indochina

• At this meeting, the idea of partitioning Vietnam was first brought to the table

• Vietnam General Ta Quang Buu and French General Henri Delteil signed the Agreement of Cessation of Hostilities in Vietnam

• The 17th parallel was drawn, dividing Vietnam until 1956 when nationwide elections were to be held

• Neither Bao Dai nor the United States accepted this agreement

The Geneva Conference

• The United States, France, and Great Britain convinced Ngo Dinh Diem to accept the Geneva Accords, and to enter into political discussion with the North

• In 1955, Diem became President of the Republic of Vietnam

Following the Conference

• In 1956, the French left Vietnam

• The United States took over training southern Vietnamese troops

• Vietnam fails to hold elections on the date that was agreed upon at the Geneva Conference

• In 1957, Communist insurgent activity in South Vietnam began- using guerilla tactics, soldiers assassinated about 400 South Vietnamese officials

• 13 Americans wounded in bombing in Saigon

The United States in Vietnam

• Communist forces settled along Mekong Delta

• North Vietnam created Group 559, which snuck weapons into South Vietnam via the Ho Chi Minh Trail

• Major Dale R. Buis and Master Sergeant Chester M. Ovnand became the first to die in the Vietnam War as a result of guerilla warfare

• Diem ordered a crackdown on Communists and other dissidents

• By 1960, Northern Vietnam was practicing universal military conscription

• Diem came out on top in a failed attempt at a coup

• The National Liberation Front for South Vietnam was formed by Hanoi: the Vietcong

Birth of the Vietcong

• Battle of Kienhoa Province: victory for South Vietnam (1961)

• Also in 1961, U.S. Vice President Lyndon Johnson toured Saigon

• Johnson convinced Diem that he was a critical part of U.S. objectives in Vietnam.

• President Kennedy introduced the Green Berets- a Special Forces unit prepared to deal with counter-insurgency

The United States in Vietnam

• In 1962, the United States began employing Agent Orange, which was used to expose roads used by the Vietcong

• The Diem palace was bombed in an attempted coup

• Ngo Dinh Diem beat Bao Dai in a rigged election, declaring himself President of the Republic of Vietnam

• According to the majority leader of the U.S. Senate, Mike Mansfield, Diem had wasted the $2 billion sent by America into Saigon

Deeper in Conflict

• In 1963, the Battle of Ap Bac resulted in a Vietcong victory over South Vietnam

• Buddhists begin setting themselves on fire in public places in protest of Diem’s – a Catholic- removal of Buddhist from many governmental positions

• Still in 1963, Diem was overthrown and killed by the South Vietnamese Army

• United States President Kennedy was also assassinated, leaving the issue of Vietnam in the hands of Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson

Multiple Assassinations

• In a coup, General Nguyen Khanh took control in Saigon

• Major General Duong Van Minh, the junta leader of the South Vietnamese, was placed under house arrest, but remained a figure-head

New Faces in Vietnamese Government

• On August 2, 1964 three North Vietnamese PT boats supposedly fired on the USS Maddox

• Prior to this attack, the United States and South Vietnam had been engaging in covert naval collaboration

• A second attack arguably occurred on August 4. Both of these attacks have been highly contested

• Led to the Gulf of Tonkin Resolution: On August 7, now President Johnson is authorized to "take all necessary measures to repel any armed attack against forces of the United States and to prevent further aggression." 

The Gulf of Tonkin Incident

• 1964: Vietcong attack Bienhoa Air Base

• Lyndon B. Johnson won the 1964 US Presidential election over Barry Goldwater

• Despite campaign promises of de-escalation of conflict in Vietnam, in 1965 Operation Rolling Thunder begins

• Operation Rolling Thunder: American bombing raids of North Vietnam. These raids were nearly continuous and went on for about 3 years

• The 9th Marine Expeditionary Brigade became the first American combat troops to enter Vietnam

• The Marines went to defend the US airfield at Danang

De-Escalation in Vietnam? Or…

• In the Ia Drang Valley, the first ‘conventional’ battles of the Vietnam War occurred

• The United States 1st Air Cavalry Division clashed with the North Vietnamese Army and claimed victory

• Both sides experienced heavy casualties

• The amount of U.S. soldiers deployed in Vietnam tops 200,000

The Vietnam War

• In the United States, disapproval with the War in Vietnam was rapidly becoming apparent

• Colleges and Universities began holding “teach-ins” as a form of protest against the war

• The first of these protests was held at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor in March 1965

• In May, a teach-in was televised and reached about 100 campuses nation-wide

Protest At Home

Student Rallies Against the War

• In 1966, US B-52s begin bombing Northern Vietnam as a means to stop the movement of supplies into South Vietnam

• South Vietnam troops took both Hue and Danang

• President Johnson met with Nguyen Cao Ky in Honolulu to discuss the United States’ offer to assist South Vietnam against the North if they are going to work to spread Democracy

• Also in 1966, US Veterans from the first two World Wars and the Korean War, staged protests against current US involvement in Vietnam

• The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) issued a report against US Military claiming that the draft puts "a heavy discriminatory burden on minority groups and the poor.“

• Additonally, CORE calls for the removal of US troops in Vietnam

Veterans Against the War

• Beginning in 1967, Operation Cedar Falls was a huge movement by the US and Southern Vietnamese troops set to destroy Vietcong operations

• The Iron Triangle is discovered- a system of tunnels serving as headquarters for Vietcong personnel

• In 1967, MLK Jr. spoke out against US policies in Vietnam and encouraged draft evasion from the military

• According to Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, bombing is proving to be useless in Vietnam and movement of supplies into South Vietnam has continued regardless of efforts of US and South Vietnamese troops

Operation Cedar Falls

• In 1968, North Vietnam surprise-attacked several key cities in South Vietnam including the capital, Saigon

• US Military successfully take back much of the land after the initial surprise of the attack

• This turns out to be a huge psychological victory for the Communists because the US assessment of the war becomes hugely questioned after North Vietnam almost pulled off a major attack

The Tet Offensive

• 1968 Battle for Hue: a 26 day struggle to regain Hue after the Tet Offensive

• Hue had been leveled during battle, leaving nearly all of its citizens homeless

• Before Tet, Hue had been a religious haven in the midst of the war zone

• Mass graves of those who had been executed by Communists were found

The Battle for Hue

• March 16, 1968- the men of Charlie Company, 11th Brigade, Americal Division entered My Lai village

• The soldiers partook in violent murdering of at least 507 native Vietnamese citizens as a reaction to the orders “search and destroy” to find the 48th Vietcong battalion

• The events at My Lai come to reach the American public and are viewed as greatly disturbing- furthering the division and unrest amongst US citizens

The My Lai Massacre

• LBJ chooses not to run in the next presidential election

• McCarthy had been growing in popularity as Johnson’s plummeted

• “That bitch of a war- Vietnam, killed the lady I really loved- the great society”- Lyndon B. Johnson

Lyndon B. Johnson Steps Down

• In 1968 peace talks begin

• Still in 1968, the Democratic Party Convention in Chicago met massive upheaval, all broadcasted on national television

• Richard Nixon is elected president on a platform of restoring law and order

• In 1969, Nixon begins secret bombing of Cambodia behind the backs of the American public and Congress (Operation Breakfast)

• America finds out about the My Lai massacre, and Lt. William Calley is charged with murder

The Beginning of the End?

• The new policy of Vietnamization is announced- American military is charged with the job of readying South Vietnam to take over in the war against Communism

• In 1969 there was another massive anti-war protest in Washington DC

• "when dissent turns to violence it invites tragedy."  - words spoken by Nixon in reaction to the Kent State Incident

• National Guardsmen open-fired on students protesting the war. 4 students died and 8 were injured

• By 1970, the number of US troops in Vietnam had fallen to 280,000

Vietnamization

• 1971- Pentagon Papers published, exposing the deception on the part of the executive branch and the military with regards to Vietnam

• Nixon announces intentions to visit The People’s Republic of China- which was viewed negatively by the North Vietnamese who saw allies in the Chinese

• In 1972, Nixon cut down the number of troops in Vietnam by 70,000

• Secret peace talks between Henry Kissinger and Le Duc Tho are revealed to the public

Winding down the Vietnam War

• 1972- B-52s bomb Hanoi and Haiphong: clear indication to the North Vietnamese that nowhere is off limits

• Bombing of supply dumps and sites of petroleum storage

• Trying to force North Vietnam to make concessions during the peace talks which were still continuing

• Kissinger and Le Duc Tho reach a cease-fire agreement, but it does not sit well with South Vietnamese President Van Thieu

Bombing for Peace

• 1973: cease-fire signed in Paris to go into effect January 28, 1974

• The treaty "brings peace with honor in Vietnam and Southeast Asia”, according to Richard Nixon

• American troops leave Vietnam, and the end of the military draft was announced

• Kissinger and Le Duc Tho receive Nobel Peace Prizes- Tho turns his down, however, saying that peace has not been achieved in Vietnam

• Indeed, war resumes in 1974 in Vietnam and Communists took the Mekong Delta Area

Cease-Fire in Vietnam

• Communists appear to be planning a major offensive in South Vietnam

• In 1975, Communist forces capture Phuoc Long Province

• Vietcong forces interpret lack of US involvement as the go-ahead for increased aggression in Vietnam

• Hue falls to the Communists

• North Vietnam begins their Ho Chi Minh Campaign aimed at taking Saigon

• In April of 1975, South Vietnamese President Duong Van Minh delivered an unconditional surrender to the Communists

• North Vietnamese Colonel Bui Tin claimed that "...only the Americans have been beaten. If you are patriots, consider this a moment of joy."

Vietnam Falls to Communism

United States Losses in Vietnam

• Vietnam is one of the four remaining single-party socialist governments

• The nation has established diplomatic relations with most nations

• Economic policies in Vietnam have grown increasingly Capitalistic

• Vietnam is one of the fastest-growing nations

• There has been a rise in gender inequality, but agriculture and industry have both experienced growth

Vietnam Today